A Upclose look at NBA prospects

I have been fortunate to serve as a head coach of a prep school for the last four years. I have counted 19 high level prospects in this years draft that I have coached against or seen upclose. Though this is not a pro level, I have been able to see up close their games. In my opinion, these are how a few of them rank.

Sure Fire Can’t Miss- Tyreke Evans- This guy is a beast! He will be an NBA superstar. Has deep range (5-6 3PM against us) tremendous athlete and had an NBA body in high school. I believe he will be an NBA all-star within 4 years.

Best Project- BJ Mullins- This guy has a world of potential. We did not play him, but watched him play Our Savior New America (NY) and he had 63 points and 21 rebounds. It was a close game and Our Savior has a good program. He is not a lock, but could end up being an elite center.

Biggest Bust- Brandon Jennings- This guy is the most overrated player I have ever coached against. Lazy defender, but stats looked good because he feasted on slower guards. He also has a very streaky shot. He has an elite vertical and quickness, but is not physical at all. They had to go to a zone against us because we posted him up 5 consecutive plays. Unlike Evans who came off as humble and respectful, Jennings was very arrogant and did not respect his opponents. He also seemed to blame his teammates every time the team made a bad play.

PLEASE TAKE THIS STEAL PICK- Mac Koshwal- This guy is the most dominant high school player I have ever seen in person. That is including Beasley, Jennings, Evans, and even Griffin. This guy is a sleeper and would be a steal in the second round. I am so convinced I would take him with the 15th pick. He played at Boys to Men Academy out of Chicago. He was built like an 8 year vet then. He would bring the ball up the floor, hit 3’s and dunk on anyone in the country. He had a great game against us, but put up 42-21 against Harmony Prep out of Ohio who sent players to Tennessee, Florida, Nebraska, Vanderbilt to name a few.

No doubt DePaul sucked. However, look at their roster (5 Freshman,3 Sophomores, 1 Junior, 2 seniors)A first round would be a reach for an NBA GM, but a second round steal. On the other hand, I believe he will be an All-Star one day. His physical gifts are amazing. He is 6’10 260lbs and can jump out of the gym. He is a great leader as well. He was captain of DePaul as a true freshman and sophomore. I have no doubt he would show up in Detroit and muscle our young front court players instantly. There is a reason I am a high school coach and not an NBA gym, but I have never seen a player dominate other prospects like he has. One cool note about Boys to Men Academy. Their coach is one of the winningest coaches in high school but he is legally blind.

A quick question if I may: based on your experience, do you feel there is a strong correlation between success either at the high school, college or pro levels, and the size of a players hand's? Or to put it another way, does having smallish hands put a player at a distinct disadvantage compared to someone who has large hands, all other things being equal of course?